The US industrial gases producer’s latest plans boost its total commitment to first-mover projects to $15 billion through 2027. The company added that it continues to see significant opportunities for hydrogen and carbon capture technologies.

Part of the upgraded strategy is a new layer of CO₂ emissions management. Target of the new Third by 30 Scope 3 commitment, on top of the existing Scope 1 and 2 goals, is to reduce the intensity Scope 3 emissions by one-third by 2030, using 2015 as the baseline. Air Products also is joining the growing list of industrial companies pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions from operations by 2050.

To this end, the Lehigh, Pennsylvania-based gases producer has identified transition plans for new investments and modifications of existing assets, including low- and zero-carbon hydrogen. It also intends to continually increase its use of renewable energy and convert its fleet of about 2,000 trucks to hydrogen fuel cell zero-emission vehicles.

Over their lifetime, Air Products said the projects in planning are expected to avoid more than 500 million tonnes of CO₂e, equivalent to the emissions from more than 220 billion liters of diesel used in heavy-duty trucks. This is in addition to the avoided emissions for customers enabled by its products and technologies.

In line with the net-zero commitment, the company said it is engaging with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), a leader in mobilizing the private sector on climate action. As SBTI does not currently have a methodology for the chemicals sector, Air Products will participate in the SBTI Expert Advisory Group to help support development of the sectoral framework.

Achieving the net-zero goal will also require strong policy and regulatory support that promotes the adoption of key technologies to address the pace and scale required to support a net-zero future, CEO, president and chairman Seifi Ghasemi stressed.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist